Just there
by JENTWCSINYFAN2
Summary: Gibbs and Borin. More of something in my head after he crumbles
1. Chapter 1

Just There: Gibbs and Borin. They are in my head right now and cooperated with letting me put something on paper too.

Gibbs had entered his house and opened his bottle of bourbon and had just poured some into a glass. He was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and felt tired and cold. He started a fire in his fireplace then sprawled out on his couch a little. Footsteps sounded in his house and he said "Not a good time. "

Abby Borin said "Think you're going to scare me off because you're in a foul mood? Not happening Jethro."

He swallowed some bourbon slowly. "Just don't feel right. Have been tired and cold all day. "

She said "Well why don't I order us a pizza and you can stay there and be comfortable by your fire."

He nodded. "Thanks, I guess I could eat something."

She skimmed her hand gently over his forehead. "You are a little warm, maybe you're coming down with something."

He shrugged. "Could be."

She sat near him on the couch for a while and touched his hand gently. She ordered their usual favorite pizza meat lovers with extra cheese and a salad with ranch as the side that was included.

She hugged him on impulse gently.

"That was nice ", he said and lowered his head to the pillow that it was resting on again.

There was a knock on the door and Ducky walked in. "Oh hello Abigail nice to see you again. You're looking well."

She replied "Good to see you as well Ducky."

He said "Jethro wasn't himself at work today so I thought I would check on him. "

She nodded. "I will give you two a minute. I have some laundry to put in the washer here. Mine's broken." She went to the back of the hallway where his washing machine and dryer were then.

Ducky said "Well do you mind if I take your temperature Jethro?"

Gibbs sighed "Go for it Duck."

Ducky popped the thermometer into his mouth and waited for the beep when it was done reading. "Hmm 101. I would say you are fighting an infection of some kind. I recommend rest and fluids and not anymore bourbon tonight. You might want to take a day off work as well."

He nodded. "Ok, thanks Duck."

Ducky said "Well then I will let you and Abigail enjoy your evening. Feel better Jethro."

"Working on it Duck, just need to dial it back for a little while." Then ducky went out the door again.

Borin came back into the room and said "So what did Ducky say?"

"Have a fever of 101. Wants me to get rest and fluids, says I have an infection probably a virus." Gibbs replied.

She nodded. "Well we can do that. My team is on stand down for a few days so I can help you feel better if you decide to stay home from work. "

He sighed. "Think I might, will need to call Dinozzo and Vance."

She touched his face. "It's all right everybody has off times. The pizza should be here in a little while. And I guess we just went public with Ducky."

He said "I can have a friend or more at my house if I want. Let people talk, my team worries that I'm lonely anyway."

She nodded. "Ok then." She sat on the couch near his feet and rested them on her lap. "Pizza should be here soon. Got our usual from Luigi's." " May even be some leftover for Dinozzo too."

He smiled. "I was on his ass pretty hard today so maybe that might be a peace offering to make it better."

"I'm sure he knew you weren't feeling well. He knows sometimes things happen." she said. "I think you might need a little cuddling."

His eyebrow went up a little. "Marines don't cuddle." His tone was softer than normal with her.

She moved him into her arms. "Come here Gibbs. It's ok."

He had his hands near her waist. "Yeah it is this time."

For a while they listened to the fire crackle near where they were sitting together. Their pizza arrived and they paid for it. She got paper plates for them to eat it on the coffee table and some forks for the salad as well.

"Maxwell, one of the guys on my team wanted me to join him for a steak after work. I took a raincheck. Told him I thought a friend needed me right now."

"You can always do stuff with your team Abby. I understand." He said.

"I wasn't in the mood for beef tonight. It has been a long few weeks and I wanted some time here with you instead." "Maybe I'm a little tired myself this evening."

He put his hand on her arm. "Come on Borin, don't. I didn't mean that I don't want you here because I do. I know you have a life other than where we are."

She looked at him. "So there is a we?" She smiled for a minute.

"Don't kiss casual friends or share my bed with them." He said

"All right I'll take it since I also know not very many of your friends do their laundry here on a regular basis. "

"No they don't."

Then they ate dinner and she lit a candle on the coffee table. It was a cappuccino scented one that she had brought from her apartment one time.

"Smells like coffee, I like it."

She smiled. "And it isn't too girly either. I'm not into the flowery ones, give me a headache sometimes."

"Could turn the lights down and enjoy it more." He switched off a lamp nearby.

"That's nice with the firelight and the candle, thank you Jethro." she said and her face softened. "Need to go switch my laundry, be right back."

He nodded. "There's an extra t-shirt of mine if you don't have stuff to sleep in."

She smiled "I do have something but thank you." "Your shirts are soft though, I like that about them."


	2. Chapter 2

Later that evening: Gibbs stretched and sat up a little on his couch. "What's in that box over there Abby?"

She smiled. "Why don't you open it and see?"

He shrugged. "All right." He folded back the cardboard slowly and found a black kitten blinking at him. He lifted her gently with one hand. "A kitten, wow thank you."

"One of the guys on my team ended up with a litter. She's the runt and is missing one of her back paws. He found a home for the other three and well I thought you might like a friend."

He smiled. "I do. Always meant to get Shannon a cat. And now I have one of my own. The kitten batted at his chin playfully. Guess you need a name sweetheart. Hmm what about Probie?"

The kitten purred and curled up to sleep in his right hand. "She's so tiny. Is she good to be away from her mom?"

Borin nodded. " Yes she was checked over by the vet a few days ago. She may just be a little smaller than average but she is healthy. And she likes you already. I need to get her other things from my truck for a few minutes but I will be right back."

He smiled. "Thank you, she will be great company for me. "

A while later: Borin had brought the kittens things inside and she was down on Gibbs' floor exploring. "I want her to get used to the place."

She nodded. "Well I think I will make you some soup. Your voice sounds a little off and I know something that will help you feel better."

"Thank you it's been a long time since I had a woman want to take care of me." "It feels nice to have that again."

"Well it's a shame if other women weren't smart enough to give you something besides what they wanted all the time. Their loss." She said. Then she went into the kitchen to make his soup."

He sat there for a moment and then put another log on his fire. He was getting in deeper with her and he felt a little scared. But then maybe it was because she was real.


	3. Chapter 3

He poured some bourbon and slowly swallowed it. She had cornered him about being lonely and he had snapped at her instead of admitting that he was. The radio was on while he sanded some rose colored cedar for Emily Fornells' birthday gift. She was old enough to have a cedar chest now.

"She's Gone" by Hall and Oates played softly in the background. He dropped the wood he was working on and muttered "shit." Tonight wasn't the night for this it seemed?

He turned the basement light off and went upstairs. He built a fire before sitting down on his couch slowly.

Then he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Borin. He waited and hoped she would answer.

"Hello." She sighed into the phone softly.

"Hey I wanted to say that I shouldn't have taken your head off before and yes I am to answer your question."

"I shouldn't have pushed so hard either."

"I'm offering a fire and a blanket to share if you come back."

"I can do that." Borin replied.

"Good, thank you."

"I'll be over in a little while."

"I'll be here."

Gibbs was putting another log on the fire when his door opened. "Hi."

"Hi."

He stood up and touched her face gently.

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "That's nice."

"Let's get comfortable." He said.

"All right." She nodded

He went to the couch and sat down.

Then he put his arms around her and felt her sigh.

"Are you feeling ok?"

"Yeah, just tired."

"If you need to shut it off I'm here."

His hand played with her hair a little.

"You're going to make me fall asleep."

"It's ok to give in you know."

She sighed and curled into him a little more closely.

He saw a tear slide down her face and gently wiped it with his thumb.

She blinked for a moment. "What a day. I hate when teenage kids are lost. They are supposed to have everything ahead of them. Brings up my sister. My parents never really got over Hannah. She was the brilliant one. Wanted to be a doctor and help kids with cancer. And I am a federal agent."  
He held her. "That's one thing that always hurts no matter how long."

She nodded. "Yes it does. But can't change it now."

"Well when you need to talk about her you can with me. I haven't about things that I should. You don't want to be like me."


	4. Chapter 4

He hadn't heard from her in a few days and she hadn't been with her team when they had a case together. Her first in command had said she was sick. So he had decided to go to her house that night after his work day ended.

He knocked quietly on her front door which was painted blue.

Her voice said "Maxwell, I have a cold. I'll be back to work in another day or two." Then the door opened. "Oh, you're not who I thought it was." "Come in."

"Brought some chicken soup and tea." He had a brown paper bag in one hand.

Her face softened. "Thank you Jethro. That's sweet of you."

She had on a sweatshirt with CGIS on it and some penguin pajama pants.

"So, heard I missed a case with your team?"

"Wasn't the same without you there?"

"Well I didn't want to infect them .Though urban legend has it you don't get sick. Something about a super human immune system."

"You'd think people would be over that by now." He shrugged.

She sat back down on her couch with a sniffle and then turned her head for a moment. "Sorry thought I had a sneeze coming on but it was a false alarm."

"Why don't I go heat up that soup while you relax?"

She smiled a little. "Sounds good, I haven't felt much like eating today."

"Well we'll fix that. I'll get some tea started too, other Abby's blend. She makes it in fall and winter for all of us as a preventative."  
"Oh so that's your secret? Tea and not coffee all the time."

He smiled. "I'm not telling."

She pulled a blanket over her feet and stretched out on her couch a little.

He placed a pillow under her head gently and then went into her kitchen.

She exhaled and then curled up a little. It had been a while since anyone had done this for her. Sometimes she missed that about her mom. There was definitely more to Gibbs than just the navy crime investigator. He was a very good caretaker at times. Must have been with his family when he had one.

Her father hadn't approved of her changing her major in college from elementary education to criminal justice sophomore year. He had expected her to go into teaching like her mother and not want a law enforcement career. Of course had Sarah not been killed in the accident in her junior year of high school and had been the perfect older daughter there wouldn't have been the problems between them. She rarely went home unless she wanted to see old friends. It was hard but it was the best way to keep the peace. And she had built a family with her team here and well now Gibbs. It was nice. Her eyes closed slowly and she felt the blanket being tucked around her gently.

Jethro smiled as he watched her sleep. She had sounded like crap when he first came. Probably felt like it too but he knew the soup and tea would help. She got stressed out he knew and sometimes needed to remember to shut it down.


End file.
